NEW YORK — A.J. Burnett was forced to miss his start for the Yankees on Sunday because of a bad back. Alex Rodriguez would not let a freak injury cause him to miss another game against the Red Sox.
Burnett tweaked his back Saturday while working out on flat ground, but Yankees manager Joe Girardi said the right-hander was feeling much better after getting treatment.
“He felt his back tighten, spasms, stiffness, and we just thought it was in our best interest to move him back till Tuesday,” Girardi said. “The thing is, he goes out and starts and feels it in the first, second or third inning, it kind of puts us in a little bit of a bind.”
Right-hander Dustin Moseley moved up a day to start against Boston on Sunday night. Phil Hughes will face Red Sox lefty Jon Lester in the series finale today.
Rodriguez, though, bounced back quickly from taking a sharp grounder off his left leg during batting practice Saturday and was back in the lineup.
Dodgers let Anderson go
LOS ANGELES — Outfielder Garret Anderson was designated for assignment by the Dodgers, who purchased the contract of outfielder-first baseman Jay Gibbons from Triple-A Albuquerque.
Anderson, a three-time all-star who turned 38 years old June 30, batted .181 in 80 games with two homers and 12 RBIs after signing with the club as a free agent in March.
Footnotes.
Marlins left fielder Chris Coghlan will undergo left knee surgery Wednesday and may miss the rest of the season after being hurt during a victory celebration last month.
• Mariners shortstop Jack Wilson fractured a bone in his right hand in an accident at his home. The team said Wilson slipped and fell in his bathroom, hitting his hand on the floor.
• Mariners right-handed reliever Shawn Kelley could be headed for surgery to determine what’s causing pain in his pitching elbow.
• Rays right-handers Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis left the team and returned to Florida to have their sore shoulders examined by team doctors.
• Athletics outfielder Matt Watson was taken to a hospital before Sunday’s game against the Rangers after complaining of pain in his side and back.
• Orlando Hudson, sidelined since July 24 by a strained right oblique muscle, was activated from the disabled list and back in the Twins’ lineup.
• Manager Lou Piniella was headed to Florida to tend to his ailing mother and was not accompanying the Cubs on their trip to San Francisco.
The Associated Press
